Cub Football - Loyola to play Serra at SoFi Stadium this Thursday - Cub alum Jerry Neuheisel helps direct UCLA to biggest college upset of the seasom
LOYOLA’S MISSION LEAGUE TILT AGAINST SERRA TO BE PLAYED AT SoFi STADIUM ON THURSDAY AT 5:00 P.M.
The last time Loyola played in a stadium which was home to an NFL football team was in 1990 when the Cubs won the CIF Southern Section Division I championship trophy with a victory over Quartz Hill at Anaheim Stadium, the then home of the Los Angeles Rams.
Both the Raiders and Rams left Los Angeles after the 1994 season. Loyola played in the CIF Division I championship games in 1995 and 1996 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the former home of the Rams, and at Anaheim Stadium, also a one-time home stadium of the Rams, in the 2000 CIF D-1 title contest, but no NFL tenants were using those stadiums in those years.
So, after 35 years, the Cubs will be playing a football game at an NFL venue, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, which serves as the home of both the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. The first pro football game was played at the dazzling, modern stadium on September 13, 2020.
Loyola (3-3, 0-1) will take on Mission League rival Serra (3-3, 0-1) at SoFi Stadium this Thursday at 5:00 p.m. There is a link at loyolahs.edu in the athletics section at which tickets can be purchased.
Serra, ranked 18th in the Southland by the Los Angeles Times, comes into Thursday’s contest as the favorite despite its 30-0 loss to Sierra Canyon (6-0, 1-0), the number two-ranked team in the Southland, in the Cavaliers’ Mission League opener in Chatsworth on Friday.
The Cubs lost their Mission League opener in Sherman Oaks on Friday, falling to Notre Dame, 35-10, in the Knights’ homecoming game.
Two Loyola turnovers led directly to Notre Dame touchdowns, which did not help the Cubs in their bid for an upset win over a Knights’ squad that put itself firmly in the hunt for a top three finish in the rugged Mission League.
Once again, Loyola will be faced with an uphill climb to secure a victory over a talented opponent.
A LOOK AT THE SERRA CAVALIERS
Veteran Serra head coach Scott Altenberg’s squad is not the most talented of the outstanding teams he has directed in his 27-year tenure at the helm, but make no mistake about it, the Cavaliers as usual possess elite speed and athleticism.
Serra is a better team than its 3-3 record suggests. In the Cavaliers’ season opener they soundly defeated highly regarded Palos Verdes, 26-0. Serra destroyed Hamilton of the Los Angeles City Section, 47-0; lost to undefeated Southern Section power Los Alamitos, 42-21; fell 35-14 to powerful Orange Lutheran of the Trinity League; and defeated Oaks Christian, 19-10, before commencing Mission League play.
Senior quarterback Nicolas Johnson (5-11, 163) is a gifted dual threat signal caller. Going into last Friday’s game, Johnson had completed 53%of his passes with an impressive 16.1 yards per completion average. He was averaging 6.8 rushing yards per carry.
Senior running back Devohn Moutra, Jr. (5-9, 180) was carrying the ball at an 8.8 yards per carry clip, while senior Daylawn Reed ((5-11, 191) averaged 6.8 yards per rush.
Senior wide receiver Duvay Williams (6-2, 164) was averaging 15.3 yards per catch and has two interceptions to his credit on defense. Senior receiver Jayshawn Edwards (5-10, 173) is averaging an eye popping average of 24.3 yards per reception.
The Cavaliers have a tough defensive unit led by defensive lineman Khary Wilder (6-5, 260), an Ohio State commit who constantly creates havoc as Serra’s sack leader.
Senior linebacker Joe Bolder (6-1, 205) had a team-leading 42 tackles before the Sierra Canyon contest. Fast sophomore DB Derrick Coleman (6-0, 188) brings the heat on every play.
LOYOLA VS. SERRA GAME OUTLOOK
Serra’s speed and athleticism present a big challenge for the Cubs on both sides of the ball.
The only comparative scores against a common opponent favors the Cavaliers, who punished Hamilton 47-0 after forging a 33-0 halftime lead, while Loyola downed the Yankees 42-21.
Loyola averaged a paltry 2.9 yards per carry against Notre Dame. If the Cubs cannot move the ball more effectively on the ground, the chances for a victory at SoFi Stadium will be slim.
On the flip side, Serra is a very strong rushing team. Notre Dame averaged over eight yards per carry in its victory against Loyola on Friday. If the Cub ‘Wolfpack’ defense yields that level of rushing success, it will be a long evening for Loyola in its second conference game.
The Big Blue will need to play a mistake-free game and win the turnover battle to have a shot at an upset win.
THE LOYOLA - SERRA SERIES
The Cubs and Cavaliers first met on the gridiron in 1953. Loyola, under head coach JACK BOUCHARD, downed Serra 13-6, in a 7-2-1 campaign.
The Cubs’ most one sided victory came in 1963 as Serra was trounced by MARIO DiMURO-coached undefeated CIF AAAA champion Loyola, 53-0, in a Catholic League contest.
Last season, the Cubs had a commanding 35-14 lead over the Cavaliers with just over 10 minutes left in the game, before the wheels completely came off for Loyola. Serra scored 28 unanswered points to deliver what can only be described as an ignominious 42-35 loss to the Cubs.
Loyola leads the series 13-12-1.
LOYOLA ALUM JERRY NEUHEISEL IN FIRST OUTING AS UCLA’S OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR, CALLS A PERFECT GAME IN THE BRUINS’ MONUMENTAL UPSET OF PENN STATE
On Tuesday of last week UCLA tight ends coach JERRY NEUHEISEL was promoted to the position of offensive coordinator. A former Loyola starting QB, NEUHEISEL ‘11 engineered a masterful offensive plan that was executed to perfection by the Bruins in their 42-37 upset of then number-seven ranked Penn State. UCLA amassed 435 yards of total offense in what was undoubtedly the biggest upset of the college football season, and one of the most incredible in decades.
It is fitting that two other former Cub football players played roles in the epic Bruins win. Center SAM YOON, 22 was graded by PFSN as the top performing college center of the week for his stellar blocking at the pivot.
All-CIF linebacker SCOTT TAYLOR ‘25, made the game-sealing last tackle in the historic UCLA victory.
CUBS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Below is the list of Loyola graduates on college football teams in 2025 according to published collegiate rosters:
JAKE ARELLANO '24, DB, Bentley University
CHAD BAILEY ‘20, DB, Bentley University
BROCK BOJORQUEZ ‘25, DB, Johns Hopkins
COLIN CRUCE ‘22, OL, Bowdoin
KHALIL CUEVA ‘24, WR, University of San Diego
JEFFREY JOHNSON ‘21, TE, Cal
LUKE HARRISON ‘24, OL, University of San Diego
CONNOR KLEIN ‘25, LB, Cornell
SHAWN LIN '22, DL, Columbia
LEIGHTON LINE ‘23, DL, Cal Lutheran
JOSHUA LONG ‘21, TE, Eastern Michigan
TAHJ OWENS '22, DB, Princeton
JACK PARIS '23, DL, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
RYAN QUINTANAR '20, LB, USC
XAVIER RICE ‘23, QB, Duquesne
ISAIAH SANDERS, ‘24, LB, UC Davis
PATRICK SODL ‘22, LB, Columbia
ZAKHARI SPEARS ‘21, DB, Idaho
HENRY STICKLER ‘22, WR, SMU
JACK SUSNJAR ‘23, OL, USC
JOE TATUM ‘22, QB, Texas
SCOTT TAYLOR '25, LB, UCLA
RYAN TURK ‘24, OL, Dartmouth
DESI VALDES ‘25, DB, Pasadena City College
CHAMP WESTBROOKS ‘24, OL, Arizona State
ALEX WHITMAN ‘22, WR, Notre Dame
CEYAIR WRIGHT ‘21, DB, Nebraska
SAM YOON ‘22, OL, UCLA
2025 LOYOLA VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
8-22 Cathedral (L 36-14)
8-29 @ Millikan (Long Beach) (W 35-25)
9-5 Mount Miguel (L 21-0)
9-12 @ Hamilton (Los Angeles) (W 42-21)
9-19 St. Francis (W 9-3)
10-3 @ Notre Dame* (L 35-10)
10-9 @Serra* at SoFi Stadium
10-17 Bishop Amat*
10-24 @ Chaminade*
10-31 Sierra Canyon*
*Denotes Mission League game